ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro Lon Symensma ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro

ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro

Cuisine: Asian / Chinese / Vietnamese
Former New York chef Lon Symensma unleashes modern Asian cuisine in LoDo.
Openings: Lunch Mon.-Fri., Dinner nightly

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ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro, Denver, CO


ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro Restaurant Review:


Lon Symensma, a chef who's done time in restaurants in France and some of the best food temples in New York and Shanghai, presides over ChoLon, a venue that turns out Southeast Asian and Chinese dishes influenced by classic French techniques. The contemporary space, designed with reclaimed furnishings and materials, struts an open kitchen and chef's counter, windowed walls that overlook the downtown street scene and a separate bar area that's always six-deep with cosmopolitan crowds. And Symensma, who has traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia, has created a menu that demands your attention: soup dumplings, enveloping Gruyère and sweet onions, explode in fits and bursts on the tongue, while the Brussels sprouts, their leaves separated and tossed in the wok, are studded with fried pork and fragrant with mint leaves. Main dishes like the steamed red snapper and Berkshire pork chop matched with spring peas and heirloom carrots are equally noteworthy. The beverage program, a smartly composed roster of cocktails, craft beers, saké and wines that pair beautifully with Symensma's bold Asian flavors, also features a vast selection of Asian teas for those whose drink preferences aren't of the alcoholic persuasion. Desserts, like everything else, change frequently, but we're head over heels for the tapioca pudding with cherry ice, sliced peaches and cashew brittle.